Gentle Readers, The Practical Cook’s love of Trader Joe’s is well-documented. And nowhere is that affection more well placed than in the wine aisle. For anyone who truly feels there is nothing drinkable under a certain price range, avert your eyes. For everyone else, whose palate is less discerning, pocketbook is less fat, or concern is with quantity over quality (for a party, not advocating a bacchanal here), this blog is for you.

Hello Pink Drink: Rose Cremant for the Win!

Special thanks to Waldorf for the selections. Now back to disagreeing with you.

5 Wines Under $10 from Trader Joe’s

First, make sure you enlist people to help you when you decide to take on such a wine tasting project. It got a little dicey halfway through. Having had some truly great wines lately, I could taste the difference, but more than one of these I would go back for and drink happily.

Blason Rose Cremant: 90% Pinot noir and 10% gamay, made like champagne. My personal favorite. It’s pink, bubbly, and festive. Slightly over $10 but worth it. It is girly, but do not be afraid. It is not overly sweet. If you must make it sweeter, slice up a few strawberries or add a scant few blueberries and call it a day.

Reves Priorat 2006 Spanish red: 40%carignan, 35% garnache, 25%syrah. This wine raised the question of whether a back-to-back tasting would render it undrinkable (as in comparing it to a high-quality Priorat). It was not my favorite, probably my least favorite of the five. However, it was a reasonable representation for what it is, a red table wine.

Reves Priorat from Trader Joe’s

Nerelo del bastardo: Sicilian red 2008. This is good with grilled food as the label suggests– the smoke tempers the sweetness. I would not drink this alone. 🙂

Nerelo del Bastardo from Trader Joe’s

What’s your go-to inexpensive wine or wine source? Share your tips and labels in the comments below. Or invite me over and I’ll help you decide if it’s good.

4 responses to “Product Review: 5 Wines Under $10 from Trader Joe’s”

I found a great, really great red called Rosenblum…red and black label. They are selling it at our local liquor for 5.99 a bottle. After I took it to a patio shindig and didn’t get a glass, only a taste, and many questions about where to get it I went and got a case. Later, I saw it on the list of “summer patio pounders”. Coarse, but true! I will post you a pic….